


Children

by orphan_account



Series: Families [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Children, Domestic Fluff, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-25
Updated: 2018-03-09
Packaged: 2019-02-20 04:24:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13139010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “Tobio, I think we should have a kid.”He dropped his bowl of cereal. The contents spilled everywhere, milk soaking into his socks.***[light a/b/o universe where Kageyama and Hinata, two omegas, try for a kid]





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic did not at all start out how I thought I would. The end of Parents is a bit inconclusive, so this first chapter is a cover of a lot of the time in between the end of Parents, and when Tobio and Shoyo actually have a kid.  
> I hope you enjoy this story!

On some levels, Tobio was aware that people have awful families and dread going home for the holidays. However, he simply couldn’t understand the sentiment. There was almost nothing that he looked forward to more than going home to visit his dads during winter break.

Not only did he get to see his parents—who were fantastic people on their own—he also was allowed to eat tons of food and do nothing but laze around with his boyfriend for hours on end. It’s not like there weren’t any downsides to visiting home, his parents still asked nosy questions, lectured him for small and seemingly insignificant things. Ultimately, the good outweighed the bad for Tobio.

This time, though, he was nervous. Not about his parents, or about Christmas dinner. No, he wasn’t even nervous about staying with Hinata’s parents. None of that mattered.

What did matter, was the tiny, insignificant piece of metal that he’d purchased a month ago.

Honest to god, it was an impulse decision. He’d been at the mall, exhausted from his part-time job waiting tables, with cash from tips in hand. Tobio had never been intrigued by the jewelry store he always passed on his way back home. He’d barely given it a second glance. Just a typical, warmly lit store full of glass display cases and salesman who were a little too friendly for his tastes. He was still unsure what exactly had drawn him into the store. Perhaps it was his tired, muddled thoughts. Perhaps it was his desire to go home and collapse onto the couch with Shoyo. Perhaps it was his subconscious letting him know exactly what he wanted.

Tobio purchased a ring.

It was insignificant. Or, at least, it should have been. A ring is really just a loop of metal, that’s all. It wasn’t something that should cause Tobio’s insides to twist, and his heart to beat faster. It certainly wasn’t something that should make him call his parents in an absolute tizzy, panicking over the decision he’d made.

He leaned against a wall, shutting his eyes as the reality washed over him. Proposing? Marriage? On an impulse decision? He couldn’t—he didn’t want to rush into a commitment. Not with Hinata. Shoyo deserved so much better.

His hands shook as he twirled the little metal band in his fingers. He’d bought it specifically because it reminded him of Shoyo. The warm, golden color, a small sun engraved onto it, beams from the sun swirling out to the rest of the ring. It was cheaper than Tobio had anticipated, apparently it had been in the store for ages and no one could sell it. He couldn’t believe something so perfect for Shoyo was there.

It was fate, Tobio was sure of it.

Fate or not, he still hesitated. Proposing felt so _serious,_ so mature, and Tobio and Shoyo certainly weren’t that. Sure, they’d been together for nearly seven years, but that didn’t mean anything in terms of emotional preparedness for a lifetime of commitment. Tobio didn’t know if he was ready for that.

So, he twirled the ring in his hands. Watching, considering, contemplating.

Shoyo was an integral part of his life. They lived together, ate together, slept together, played together. If Shoyo were stripped from Tobio’s life, he didn’t know if he could continue on. He’d have to restart every single aspect of his life. Even things he’d done before knowing Shoyo. That was how entangled their lives were.

Naturally, that would lead him to the conclusion that he should propose to Shoyo. Make it all official.

On the other hand, they couldn’t actually get married. Under the current marriage laws, omegas weren’t allowed to marry other omegas, meaning it wouldn’t be legally official. All a proposal would accomplish was them formally committing to staying together.

Or, not necessarily staying together.

He hated that he thought this way. He hated that he even considered Shoyo leaving him. It made him nauseous even thinking about it, thinking about coming home to a lonely apartment, and not having the warmth of him next to him in bed. If Shoyo left him, he wouldn’t feel the tingles down his spine when Shoyo gripped his hand a little tighter as they watched exciting volleyball matches together. He wouldn’t have someone to tease during practice. He couldn’t pretend he never saw Shoyo’s impressive plays. He wouldn’t have someone to watch horribly cheesy Netflix movies with until it was three in the morning and they could barely keep their eyes open. Without Shoyo, so much joy would be sucked from his life.

Which is why partnership terrified him. Marriage was a motivator to stay together, to try and work through problems so they wouldn’t have to go through the fiery hell known as divorce. With partnership, there was nothing that would stop Shoyo from leaving him behind in shambles. The thought of that absolutely petrified Kageyama.

So, he hesitated. Desperate to hold on to Hinata, but too scared to get down on one knee.

His parents obviously knew that he’d bought the ring, but they didn’t know anything else. They didn’t know about his hang ups and concerns. They certainly didn’t know he was planning on questioning them constantly on what he should to.

On top of that, he’d barely even thought about Shoyo’s parents. If he was planning on proposing to Shoyo soon, it was only right for him to get Suga and Daichi’s approval first. He was positive they would say yes to their partnership. Suga adored Tobio, and Daichi thought he was ‘very responsible.’ There was nothing for him to be nervous about on that front, but his shoulders grew tense when he thought about asking them.

The thoughts of proposing, of acquiring permission, of what the future would hold for him and Shoyo was enough for him to dread going home.

In fact, he dreaded it enough for it to show in every aspect of his life.

“Are you feeling alright?” Hinata asked one night, when Tobio simply couldn’t get comfortable enough to sleep. He could feel Hinata watching his back, as he frowned and tried to pretend that there was nothing worrying him.

“I’m fine,” he muttered. “Just having a hard time falling asleep.” Shoyo flung an arm around Tobio’s torso and tugged, insisting that Tobio turn to face him. He was still frowning, his eyebrows furrowed.

Shoyo sighed and cupped his cheeks in his palms, searching for the issue in Tobio’s eyes. “’Yama. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I—” Tobio stopped himself. Hinata had this effect on him, he could get Tobio to spill his guts with barely a word. “I love you, Shoyo.” Hinata pressed a kiss to Kageyama’s lips, seemingly pleased with his response.

“I hope you realize you’re not off the hook,” Shoyo whispered, bumping his nose with Tobio’s.

“I know.”

***

“Could I talk to you two?”

Suga’s heart dropped at the question. Hands down, that was the most anxiety inducing question he’d ever been asked in his life. Only bad news ever followed such a question. The fact that it was his son’s boyfriend only made Koushi’s stomach do flips. Was Kageyama planning on breaking up with Shoyo? After all this time, was he going to break Shoyo’s heart?

Koushi couldn’t imagine. Shoyo would never stop crying if Tobio left him. It would completely destroy him, and he might not ever heal.

“Of course, you can.” Suga forced a smile, attempting to stay lighthearted, even when he felt nauseous.

“You can always talk to us, Kageyama,” Daichi reassured Tobio, sharing a nervous glance with his husband. He knew it too; that bad news was coming.

Tobio took a deep, steadying breath, reaching into his jacket and digging through his inside pockets. Forcefully, he slammed the object he was searching for onto the coffee table.

A ring. A shiny, golden, engraved ring that gleamed in the dim lighting of the living room.

“It’s…” Suga’s voice trickled away, trying to process what was happening in front of him. This wasn’t bad news. At least, it didn’t seem like it was bad news.

“I bought a ring,” he confessed, eyes flitting between Daichi and Suga again and again like the swing of a pendulum, constant and even. “It’s in Shoyo’s size, I double-checked.”

“I don’t know what to say,” Sawamura breathed out, still staring at the shaped metal resting on the table.

“We’re not a conventional couple, and we can’t get married, but,” he paused to pick up and admire the ring, “I want this. I want a proper proposal, and a commitment, and I want to spend my life with him.” Tobio bit the inside of his cheek anxiously.

“And? Why are you asking us?” Daichi questioned.

“I want to ask for your permission first. I want to do this properly,” he explained, swallowing hard, and clenching the ring in his hand.

“Tobio, I have never seen Shoyo happier than when he’s with you. You’ll make him the happiest person in the world.” Suga smiled with tears in his eyes. It was time to give Shoyo up, to hand him over to Tobio. He placed his hand over his heart, silently thanking the stars for his son and his soon to be son-in-law.

“The fact that you asked us means more than you can imagine,” Daichi admitted. “Even if we’d said no, I doubt we could have stopped the two of you.” He laughed lightly, knowing that nothing could tear Shoyo from Tobio’s side.

“Make him happy, won’t you?”

“I will.”

***

Tobio had always held a little distaste in his heart for his birthday being so close to Christmas. People tended to ignore one of the dates in favor of the other. He only ever got one combined present from people, which was frustrating because he _definitely_ deserved two presents just like everyone else. One for his birthday, one for Christmas. Maybe it was a touch petulant, maybe even petty, but he stood by it. He deserved _both_ presents, okay? He did.

Hinata, Dad, and Iwa always pulled through on this front. Shoyo had started buying him two presents within the first year of dating. Dad and Iwa could never agree on what to gift to Tobio, so he received one present from one of them on his birthday, and the other on Christmas. It was a little competition to see who was a better gift-giver.

(It was Iwaizumi, hands down. Not that they ever had to tell Tooru that.)

Shoyo had woken Tobio up _especially_ early on his birthday in order to give Tobio his present. Headphones, Bluetooth ones with volleyballs printed on the sides.

“I know yours broke recently, so you’ve just been using my older ones, but I figured you deserved some new ones,” Hinata explained, smiling lopsidedly as Tobio blearily connected his phone to the new device. “They have really nice sound quality, apparently. All the reviews said so. _And_ they’re really comfy. Tsukishima has this same kind and he says—” Tobio leaned in and kissed him gently, his eyes slowly fluttering closed.

“Aren’t you supposed to let me sleep in on my birthday?” he hummed against Shoyo’s lips. Shoyo laughed, dropping his head to rub his cheek against Tobio’s neck, scenting him affectionately.

“You know I get impatient,” Shoyo breathed, kissing Tobio’s jaw, cupping the other side of his face with his hand. “I didn’t want to accidentally spoil the surprise, you know?” He playfully bit at his ear.

“And _I_ didn’t want to have to wake up early on my break,” Tobio accused, pulling away from the redheaded devil.

Hinata sighed lovingly, taking in the sight of early morning Tobio. So, maybe he was lying a little bit when he said he couldn’t wait to give Tobio his present. Shoyo _loved_ the way Tobio looked in the early mornings. His hair would curl up a little, messy from being pressed against his pillow, and his lips would be sleep puffy, and his _voice._ His typical growl was even huskier in the mornings, deeper and sexier. It was one of his favorite Tobios, the one that he got to see in the mornings.

“I’m not opposed to napping.” Shoyo smiled, sliding his hands to Tobio’s shoulders. Tobio took a deep breath and nuzzled his nose against his neck, taking in that sweet vanilla and orange scent.

“It’s too late. Now we have to get up and make breakfast.” He pushed the blankets off of his legs, brushing Shoyo’s hands off of him so he could stand up properly, stretching. It gave Shoyo a fantastic view of Tobio’s bare back, muscles flexing as he put his arms over his head.

“I was hoping for some fantastic sex with the birthday boy,” Hinata pouted, batting his long lashes at his boyfriend.

“Food first. Sex later,” Tobio corrected, pulling a shirt out from the duffle bag he’d brought and then tugging it over his head.

As certified adults who do adult things like cook and clean, Tobio and Shoyo immediately got to work at making breakfast for the household. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, hashbrowns, and a strawberry sauce to top the pancakes. It was a typical breakfast that they’d make when they were willing to put in the effort to make breakfast—that is, rarely.

With the bacon in the oven, hashbrowns frying on the stove, and the sausage in a skillet, it was time to start on the pancakes.

“Let me make the batter,” Tobio ordered when Shoyo started pulling out the ingredients.

“What? No. I’ve already started,” he brushed him off, standing on the tips of his toes to pull down a mixing bowl. He hated the fact that Tobio’s entire family was taller than him. Everything was placed on shelves that were way too high.

“You make them wrong. You put too much flour in your pancakes,” Tobio pointed out, crossing his arms. “I’ll make the pancakes, you watch the stove.”

“No way! You already did everything on the stove. Let me do this,” Shoyo huffed, beginning to measure out ingredients.

“I don’t want to eat gross pancakes. Make the strawberry sauce instead.”

Hinata opened the flour bin, immediately hesitating to grab the measuring cup. He was planning on making the pancakes no matter what Tobio said.

 _However,_ he was being a real brat about Shoyo’s pancakes.

In barely half a second, he had grabbed a handful of flour, spun on his heel, and flung it directly at his boyfriend’s chest.

The horrified gasp that the action pulled from Tobio _would_ have been enough for Shoyo, except Tobio determinedly scooped flour off of his shirt and blew it directly into Shoyo’s face, getting it all over his nose and cheeks, and covering his hair in white fluff that looked vaguely like snow.

It only escalated from flour flicking to splashing water directly from the tap at each other. Shoyo’s socks slipped on the tile floor of the kitchen, and he tugged Tobio down with him. With hands at either side of Shoyo’s head, and his face and hair covered in fine white dust, Tobio leaned down to kiss him even as he laughed.

When he pulled away, he wrinkled his nose. Flour didn’t exactly taste good, even when it was covering his boyfriend’s lips.

“First of all, we agreed _years_ ago that no sex would be had in the kitchen,” came Oikawa’s voice, loud and amused. “ _Second_ of all, you’re cleaning all of this up.” Tobio let his eyes flit to the side, vaguely paying attention to what his dad was saying, but still staying focused on Shoyo.

“Understood,” he said, letting his stormy blue eyes flick back to Hinata’s. He bit his bottom lip, barely holding back a smile before he blew at Hinata’s face, scattering the flour in a cloud around his cheeks. Again, he pressed a kiss to Hinata’s lips and then stood up. He held his chin high, proud and complacent as he sent a glance towards Tooru. “Good morning,” he greeted, just a touch too smug for Tooru’s tastes.

“Brat,” Oikawa hissed fondly. Tobio huffed a laugh as he started mixing the pancake batter.

“Now who could I have learned that from?” he wondered aloud sarcastically. Hinata stood up as well, flipping the potatoes and sausage, briefly checking on the bacon to make sure it wasn’t going to burn.

Shoyo chopped strawberries and mixed them with sugar on the stove, watching them turn into a red syrupy treat. Tobio flipped pancakes on the stove next to him, occasionally brushing their shoulders together, or bumping hips with him. They spoke softly, affectionately, muttering instructions to each other as they cooked.

Tooru watched them from the dining room, glancing up to observe their interactions.

Tobio had never been very good with people. The friends he had were people that had been introduced to him, or people that were stubborn enough to try and get to know him. Ever since he’d met Shoyo, he’d grown more and more open to people, but it was never more obvious than when he was with Shoyo. The way they spoke, the way they touched, it was more than Tooru had ever expected from him. Some part of him believed that Tobio would always be a little awkward and standoffish with everyone. With Hinata, there wasn’t a _trace_ of that attitude. Only love, affection, and playfulness were found there.

Tooru couldn’t explain how proud he was. How proud he was that his son had found someone so perfect for him. How proud he was that Tobio could laugh and smile. How proud he was that Tobio had grown into the fantastic, happy person he was.

“Whose idea was it to let Tobio cook his own birthday breakfast?” Hajime asked with a yawn as he shuffled to the dining room to sit beside Tooru.

“It was mine,” Tobio confessed, starting to carry plates of food from the kitchen to the dining room table. “The rest of you do it wrong. Especially Hinata.”

“ _Rude,_ ” Shoyo chastised, as he opened the fridge to pull out maple syrup and whipped cream. “I can’t believe you’d abuse me when I gave you such a nice present.”

“It’s payback for waking me up at the crack of dawn.” Tobio sat down at the table, offering a kind smile to his family.

“Happy birthday, Tobio,”

***

He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. He’d barely slept the night before, his stomach tight from nerves, and his mind running over and over the words he was going to say.

_Stay by my side._

_Spend your life with me._

_I want to grow old with you._

The plan was clear, he’d went over it a million times with his own parents and Shoyo’s. He was going to wake Shoyo up early, invite him on a run. Take him to that park they’d went to so long ago on their very first official date. Propose to him at the swing set. By the time they got back to the house, Suga, Daichi, and Natsu would be over and they’d all celebrate Christmas together. It was simple, foolproof. Nothing was going to go wrong.

Still, Tobio’s stomach twisted into knots as he watched the clock tick closer and closer to morning.

He rolled over and started pressing kisses to Shoyo’s neck as soon as it was seven. Shoyo was particularly ticklish in the mornings, and Tobio loved his sleepy giggles in the morning. There was no better way to wake him up.

“ _Tobio,_ ” he whined, his eyes opening slowly. “It’s too early to be awake.” He tugged the blankets all the way up to his chin, giving Tobio those puppy eyes that he knew made him weak.

 _Stay strong, Kageyama,_ he reminded himself, pecking Shoyo’s nose.

“Come with me on a run. We can look at the Christmas decorations,” he suggested, rubbing his nose on Hinata’s neck. Shoyo hummed contently.

“But it’s cold outside,” he complained.

“Please?” Tobio pleaded, suddenly nauseous at the thought of Shoyo rejecting the plan on the first step. To be fair, Shoyo didn’t actually _know_ the plan, but if he turned him down now then they _couldn’t_ execute the plan.

“Only because you asked so nicely,” Shoyo hummed, kissing Tobio chastely. He sat up, his orange hair wild.

Tobio rolled out of bed, trying to stop his hands from shaking visibly. If Shoyo thought he was cold (or super nervous) there was no way he would let him leave the house. The gloves he put on helped conceal his trembling, but not by a lot.

“Ready?” Shoyo asked.

“Of course.”

They went at a slower pace than normal. It was more of a jog than a run. Hinata looked so ethereal in the stark whiteness of the snow around them. His cheeks and nose were flushed from the cold, and his eyelashes and hair stood out even more than normal, practically gleaming in the sunlight.

Shoyo was watching everything that they passed, eyes wide and full of wonder. The glittering of snow and ice, and the colored lights flickering on houses never failed to catch his eye. He was a summer child, made of sunlight and warmth, but he loved the snow and the cold. Perhaps that’s why he loved Tobio.

Kageyama lead them to the park without too much thought, Hinata was distracted enough not to question him.

The park looked perfect, two inches of snow covering every piece of equipment on the playground, trees framing the area like it was pulled directly from a stock photo.

“Our first date!” Hinata gasped in wonder, eyes sparkling. “You wore that _stupid_ outfit and I thought you were so cute.” He looked up at Kageyama with a smile in his eyes.

Tobio took a deep breath. Now or never.

“I didn’t really want to go on a run at seven in the morning on Christmas day,” Tobio confessed, turning to face Shoyo. He cocked his head to the side, furrowing his eyebrows slightly.

“Why not?”

Tobio took Shoyo’s hands into his own, staring into his big, brown, curious eyes.

“Shoyo, I can’t imagine my life without you. You’re—you’re everything I’ve ever needed in my life,” he breathed out, his eyes staying connected with Shoyo’s. His heart hammered in his chest, but he still pressed on. “Ever since I met you, you’ve been making my life better. Everything in my life is better because of you, and I don’t know how I can ever express to you how happy you make me.”

“Tobio, what—” Tobio squeezed Shoyo’s hands tightly before releasing them. He took a deep breath and got down on one knee, pulling that tiny, golden ring from his pocket.

“I hope that I can make you happy too, Shoyo, and I would be so honored, so _thrilled_ if you would spend the rest of your life with me.”

Shoyo stared, eyes wide and surprised, the world so silent around them, snow gently beginning to fall. Tobio swallowed hard. He couldn’t say anything. This was up to Shoyo now.

“You _idiot,”_ Shoyo laughed, pouncing onto him, feeling the cold seep through his clothes as he brought Tobio’s face to his own, kissing every inch that he could reach. He pulled back, his face glowing with joy, nearly blinding Tobio. “I would marry you a million times over, Tobio.”

He let out a shivering sigh, leaning his forehead against Shoyo’s. Everything was shaking, not because of the cold or because of nerves, but because everything he was feeling was so intense. The relief, the joy, the _love_ bubbled up in him over and over again, making him tremble uncontrollably.

Tobio was so swept up in the emotions of the moment, he almost forgot the ring clutched in his hands.

“You have to let me put the ring on you,” he insisted, pressing closer to Shoyo. Hinata offered his left hand to Tobio. Tobio slipped the glove off and carefully pushed the golden band onto his ring finger.

Shoyo admired it, holding it up over his head, watching it gleam in the sunlight.

“It looks like me,” he hummed. “How long did you have to search to find this?”

“About ten minutes.”

Shoyo laughed aloud, grinning at Tobio brightly.

“I couldn’t be happier right now, Tobio,” he confessed, leaning in to kiss him again. This time it was a little deeper, with opened mouths and hints of tongue. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe—I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

“I could say the same thing,” Tobio breathed into Shoyo’s neck, biting gently at that little juncture where his scent was strongest. Shoyo shivered and leaned his head onto Tobio’s, letting him kiss up his neck even here in a playground after they got engaged.

“We should go back,” Shoyo sighed happily. “I need to tell my parents!”

“They already know. I asked for their permission,” Tobio said, continuing to nuzzle at him.

“You asked for permission?”

“Of course I did.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” Tobio pulled away from Shoyo and nodded definitively. “Let’s head back.”

Tobio stood up, offering Shoyo a hand to help him up as well. They didn’t drop hands the entire way back to the house.

As planned, Suga, Daichi, Natsu, Oikawa, and Iwaizumi were all waiting when they returned, excited, congratulating them, Suga even cried a little.

Natsu pulled Kageyama and side and chewed him out for not telling her first, then she ran off to admire Shoyo’s ring. She said it was ugly, but she couldn’t stop staring at it, watching the light bounce off it, making it look like it was almost glowing.

It was only 10 in the morning when champagne was pulled out, and they were making a toast to the newly engaged couple.

Suga raised his glass first, holding it high, full of pride.

“I want to thank Tobio and Shoyo for letting me watch their relationship blossom,” Suga began, smiling, “I hope that the two of you can find utmost happiness, and that you’ll let me be a spectator to that as well.”

“ _And_ that you’ll give him grandchildren soon,” Sawamura added, laughing even as Suga elbowed him in the side for the comment.

“All I’m saying is that you would create beautiful children,” Suga rolled his eyes fondly.

“Maybe wait until _after_ you’re married to get pregnant,” Iwaizumi suggested.

“I would like to make a toast to how _damn long_ it took for you two to finally get engaged,” Oikawa offered up.

“Oh, I’ll drink to that,” Hajime laughed. “You know he called us in a panic after he bought the ring, right?”

“ _Iwa,_ ” Tobio hissed through gritted teeth.

“I actually have a toast to make as well,” Hinata spoke up. He sounded more serious than the light atmosphere would lend itself to. All eyes fell on him, but his gaze was focused solely on Tobio. “Tobio was able to say his part during the proposal, but I—I wanted to say something to him as well.” He took a long, deep, calming breath before continuing, “Tobio, when I first met you, I genuinely thought you were a complete asshole—” Tobio choked at the bluntness that his fiancé began with.

“Okay _wow,_ I was _nice_ in my proposal,” Tobio chided.

“I’m getting there!” Shoyo protested. “Look, I thought you were a jerk, but there is _so much more_ to you than I _ever_ could have imagined. Even the second time I met you, all you cared about was making sure I was safe and comfortable. After all of these years, you still never fail to show that same, brash kindness to me over and over again. If you had asked me, all those years ago, what I thought my spouse would be like, I _never_ would have described you, but I can’t imagine someone better for me than you. There is _no one_ in my life that I want to spend all my years with more than you. You have all of my love, Tobio, and I hope that I have yours too.”

Tobio stood there, blushing, attempting to formulate a response. Maybe he should have let Shoyo propose, he was so much more eloquent than Tobio.

“Oh, kiss him already so we can drink!” Oikawa called out from the counter.

He dipped Shoyo low, and kissed him deeply.

Neither of them noticed that they spilled their glasses of champagne.

***

In some ways, it felt like this was all a dream Tobio Kageyama, that little two-year-old he’d met all those years ago, was now here in front of him, all grown up. This potential member of the national volleyball team, standing in Iwaizumi’s kitchen, smiling, drinking champagne, his hands fondly resting on his fiancé’s shoulders? There was no way this was the same kid.

The Tobio of his memories, the Tobio he’s raised, was small enough to life over his head. The Tobio of his memories would laugh at knock knock jokes, and had only recently learned about a sport known as volleyball.

Hajime supposed that he had many different Tobios in his memories. The Tobio that would drip yogurt all down the front of himself. The Tobio that cried when he realized his parents couldn’t get married. The Tobio that ran away to a volleyball tournament during his first heat. The Tobio that would fall asleep on the couch snuggled up against Tooru. The Tobio that fell in love with Shoyo so effortlessly.

He was so much more than that.

Tobio wasn’t bound by memory. He was here in front of Iwaizumi, newly engaged. Hajime had played a part in that. He had been there with him through the good and the bad. Through the tears, the victories, the losses, the stressed. He’d helped him with homework and volleyball, cheered for him when he stood proud on the court, and watched him grow stronger, improve immensely, again and again.

The Tobio that stood in front of him today was a product of his past. A past that Hajime had been with him through. Hajime had never imagined this. Tobio had exceeded each and every one of his expectations. Even with all of the daydreams he’d had about his son, Tobio was better. It was shaking to his soul to let him go on without him, but he knew that he would grow even more without Hajime and Tooru there beside him. He has Hinata, a team, friends. Tobio had constructed an entire family around himself. He wouldn’t need his parents anymore.

Hajime had never been all that fond of whiskey, but cinnamon whiskey dumped into tea certainly couldn’t hurt when he wanted to relax properly and fall asleep. The party had ended a while ago, and everyone was sleeping soundly. Tobio and Shoyo were soundly asleep, wrapped around each other. Tooru was snoring softly when Hajime got up.

Hajime should have been sleeping too.

There was too much on his mind to sleep. He was saying goodbye. Not a sad goodbye, nor a forever goodbye, but a goodbye to the Tobio of his memories. A goodbye to that little boy he loved so dearly and an acknowledgement of the incredible, responsible adult that he had become. It wasn’t a real goodbye, but a goodbye nonetheless.

“Hey,” Tooru said, his voice soft. No matter how many times he saw it, Hajime still loved the way Tooru looked when he’d just woken up. Even now, when Hajime was nearly heartbroken, sipping tea and whiskey in the kitchen, he appreciated his messy curls, the lines pressed into his cheek from his pillow, the way his glasses rested crookedly on his nose, the way his lashes fluttered when he was tired.

“Hey,” Hajime said back, keeping his voice low, only now realizing the sleep gruffness that had settled in his throat. Tooru shuffled closer to him, slumping forward and nudging his nose against Hajime’s neck gently. Wrapping his arms around him was instinct, supporting him so he could stay upright. He’s always taken the weight off of Tooru’s shoulders, carrying his burdens, supporting him along the way. He was strong for others, strong for Tooru, for his team, for his son, for hid family. That was his responsibility. This would be no different.

Again, Tooru scented at Hajime’s neck, soaking up all he could. He pulled back slowly, cupping Hajime’s cheeks, brushing his thumbs over his cheekbones, and making sure their eyes met.

“What’s wrong?” He didn’t stop his eye contact or the movement of his thumbs on Hajime’s cheeks. His words were so gentle, so sincere, normally he would be weak to Tooru speaking like this, but not now. This wasn’t Tooru’s burden to bear.

“It’s nothing, Tooru,” he breathed out, leaning his head to the right, pressing his cheek into Tooru’s palm. Tooru sighed heavily and backed up.

“You told me something a long time ago. Long, long time ago back when we were in middle school. I was being stupid, really stupid—I was going to hurt myself. I _did_ hurt myself.” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “That’s—that’s not the point. You said something to me then, you asked me if I thought I was alone.” He didn’t bother trying to quote him directly, or even to imitate Iwaizumi’s voice. This was serious to Tooru, to Hajime too.

“I remember that.” Hajime breathed out a laugh, smiling at the stupid memory. He’d been so harsh with Tooru back then. It was ridiculous, really. How far they’d come since then. Tooru smiled in response, though it didn’t reach his eyes.

“You told me that forever ago, but it’s always stuck with me. I’m never fighting alone. I have you, I have friends, I have a team. I never have to bear any burden alone.” His eyes flickered away for a moment, his brown irises focused towards the floor. “You taught me that, Hajime.” He looked up again. “You need to take your own advice, Hajime. You’re not alone. I’m here for you.”

“I know that, Shittykawa.” Hajime rolled his eyes. Oikawa pressed his forehead to Iwaizumi, shutting his eyes tightly.

“Then _why_ won’t you talk to me?” he asked, shaking his head.

“I’m being selfish,” Iwaizumi dismissed, pulling himself from Oikawa’s touch.

“Because that _totally_ makes your worries not valid,” Oikwa scoffed, crossing his arms. Iwaizumi pursed his lips, searched his partner’s eyes for any sign of backing away.

He swallowed hard and gave in.

“I don’t want him to leave,” Iwaizumi confessed. “I mean—he’s been at college and off doing his own this for years, but this feels like the end of us in his life, and I don’t want that.” Oikawa sighed, closing his eyes.

“Who was the first person he called when he was nervous about proposing?” he asked.

“Us.”

“And who did he ask to hold the official engagement party?”

“Us.”

“Who is it that he depended on for years and years? Who is it that he ran to whenever he had a problem until he was nearly twenty?”

“Us…” Iwaizumi turned his gaze away, heat rising to his cheeks.

“It was us! Even as he grows older, and he learns more, does more, we will _always_ be his parents.” Oikawa cupped Hajime’s cheeks again. “Even if he doesn’t need us to help him through life, he’ll still _want_ us in his life. I guarantee it, and he would too.”

“How the hell do you always know what to say?” Hajime huffed, scenting Tooru.

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” he hummed. “I don’t,” he whispered low. Hajime kissed him, affectionately, chastely.

“I pray to god that Hinata will keep him in line,” Hajime wished when he pulled away. Tooru laughed loudly at that, letting his head fall to Hajime’s shoulder.

***

In hindsight, Tobio should have noticed. He should have noticed Hinata acting weird. He should have taken note of Hinata checking out books from the library for the first time since they’d gotten a library card. He should have noticed the extra vitamins in the cabinet, the new brands of tea in the kitchen. He should have noticed the _notes_ that Hinata took while he read.

Except he didn’t. He didn’t notice any of these obvious clues.

“Tobio, I think we should have a kid.”

He dropped his bowl of cereal. The contents spilled everywhere, milk soaking into his socks.

“ _Shit,_ ” he hissed, rushing off to clean up the mess that he’d made in his shock.

How could Shoyo _spring_ that on him? They hadn’t talked about it at all. Hinata had never expressed a desire to have kids. Tobio had never expressed a desire to have kids. They were athletes, _professional volleyball players._ They couldn’t take care of a kid. They’d have to take so much time off. Tobio didn’t want to have a kid he couldn’t raise himself.

He couldn’t _abandon_ his kid. Their schedules weren’t conducive with a child. Shoyo was crazy.

Tobio took a deep breath, standing across from where Shoyo was sitting.

“Look, I know what you’re going to say,” Hinata sighed. “We can’t. We’re both omegas, and we’re athletes. There’s no way we can make it work, but if you’d _listen,_ I have a plan—”

“Stop panicking. I haven’t turned you down yet,” Tobio huffed, crossing his arms and tapping his foot. He grew impatient quickly when Shoyo started panicking.

“In the off season, we’re not all that busy. We’d be able to take care of the kid completely then. When we’re actually playing, we can hire a sitter, or a nanny. It wouldn’t be that hard. Plus, both my parents and yours would totally be willing to babysit,” Hinata explained, gesturing, and making eye contact with Tobio as often as possible.

“That’s true. Continue.” Shoyo had clearly put a lot of thought into this. Even if Tobio’s heart raced at the thought, he was open to the thought. He was so thankful to his own parents, he couldn’t say he’d never considered having kids before. He just hadn’t thought about it recently.

“As far as the fertility thing goes, it won’t be easy. Our heat cycles are already synced, so that makes it a little easier, but we’d both have to go off suppressants, _and_ I would have to start taking vitamins and medications to increase fertility. You probably would have to as well. We’ll have to work at it, you know. It might take several tries. I know it’s not fun to have to ride out heat, but it’s the _only way_ —”

“Okay.” Kageyama relaxed slightly. Hinata stared at him with wide eyes. Shoyo wasn’t expecting him to agree so quickly.

“What?”

“Okay,” Tobio repeated. “There’s a lot of things that we’ll have to work out. Parental leave, keeping you in shape so you can return to volleyball after the pregnancy as soon as possible, and, you know, being parents. I’m not against trying, though.” His heart raced despite how calm he seemed. He’d agreed.

_He’d agreed to trying for a kid._

A kid. _His_ kid. A walking, breathing, tiny person that he and the love of his life would bring into the world.

If that wasn’t a sobering thought, he didn’t know what was.

“You’re willing to try?” Shoyo questioned.

“I’m willing to try.” Tobio nodded affirmatively.

They stayed there like that, staring at each other in silence. Tobio swallowed hard at the thought. It was incredible how a single conversation could have such massive repercussions later.

Tobio and Shoyo were going to try for a kid.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "You have to take a pregnancy test."
> 
> "A _pregnancy test_?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is such a short update!! I hope you all enjoy this despite the length T^T

Negative.

Negative.

_Negative._

Every time it came back negative.

It had been nearly a _year_ since Kageyama and Hinata had agreed to trying for a kid. Every heat they’d had since had been utilized to try for a kid, but it _wasn’t working._

Shoyo was starting to doubt that it would ever work.

Their chances were slim, they went in knowing that. They discussed it over and over again. Shoyo talked himself in circles about how unlikely it was, but that they’d conquered the impossible before. With some hard work, some special vitamins, and a weird diet, they could do it. Even if they were both omegas, even if everyone around them said it wasn’t possible, they could do it.

Except they _couldn’t._ Four heats—it had been _four heats_ since they’d started, and _every single test_ had come back negative.

Hinata liked to think of himself as a positive person, but it was growing harder and harder with every negative test that came back.

Shoyo burst into tears when the fourth test showed him exactly what he was afraid of.

He wouldn’t have cried—or at least, he likes to think he wouldn’t have—if Tobio were home. This wasn’t even what Tobio wanted. He really had only agreed for Shoyo. He wouldn’t understand why Shoyo was so torn up about this, he probably wouldn’t even _care._ He’d say something like ‘oh, it’s okay, a kid would only be another stressor,’ or something insensitive like that. If Tobio were home, Shoyo wouldn’t cry.

Tobio wasn’t home, though, so Shoyo let himself break down.

The tears were falling before Shoyo had permitted it, and his hands shook in his anguish and frustration. There was a level of guilt that he carried with him, knowing that it was his body that denied him again and again, and not some external force that he could fight against. He was losing this battle against himself, and he hated it.

Tobio was away at some conference for class, he’d probably be away for an hour or so, enough time for Hinata to sulk with no evidence whatsoever.

He scrounged through the kitchen, digging up stupid sweet foods that they only kept in their apartment for when they were desperate. He grabbed tissues, and in a stupid, impulsive move, he downed a handful of the vitamin pills that were supposed to increase fertility. It wouldn’t kill him, they were just vitamins.

He ached for weakness, for the ability to cry his eyes out like no one was watching and like nothing mattered. It shouldn’t have to matter.

Shoyo curled up in front of the TV, intent on binging The Office and crying into the chocolate ice cream that he was going to eat right out of the carton. Tears dripped from his eyes as he watched Jim and Pam’s relationship unfold all over again. He wasn’t paying attention to the actual words, to the plot, to the content or the jokes, only mindlessly laughing along just so the pain deep in his organs would dull slightly.

Numbness buzzed into his body, taking over his mind and heart, soaking up all the pain he’d felt only moments ago. Had he fallen asleep? Was he even conscious anymore? It didn’t matter. Maybe accepting his fate is what he really needed.

Shoyo Hinata wasn’t going to have a baby, and that was okay with him.

That was okay.

It was okay. He didn’t need a baby.

Everything is okay. Tobio wouldn’t leave him.

It’s _okay._

***

Melted ice cream, sticky fingers, Netflix asking if the user was still active. Shoyo, passed out on the couch, limbs sprawled, one sock on, sleeping peacefully. This is the scene Tobio Kageyama was greeted with when he entered the apartment after a long, grueling conference with his least favorite professor.

The sigh that fell from his lips was one of deep set exhaustion and nothing else. If Shoyo weren’t covered in sticky substances, Kageyama might have laid down next to him and fell asleep.

He wiped down the coffee table, clicked the television off, picked up the shrapnel of junk food that surrounded his husband, and then crouched down beside him, running a gentle hand through his hair. If it woke him, it would be peaceful. If it didn’t, Tobio still was allowed to enjoy his wild, fluffy, clementine hair.

He stirred softly, muttering unintelligibly before his eyes fluttered open slightly.

It was immediately apparent from the bloodshot eyes and the swollen lids that Shoyo had been crying.

The pieces slowly clicked into place in Tobio’s mind. The sweets, the mindless television show, the tear tracks on his cheeks.

Tobio kissed him. Chaste, slow, and soft, he kissed him so as to let him know that he was safe, and that the tears were okay even if he didn’t want Tobio to see them.

“Tobio,” Hinata mumbled, relaxing his muscles almost entirely. He was submitting here, letting Tobio do as he pleased, but Tobio didn’t want that. He didn’t want this pathetic hiding away that Shoyo was doing. He didn’t want gentle kisses or make up sex. He wanted Shoyo, open and honest.

“Shoyo,” he said firmly once he had pulled away. Hinata glared at him. Those oaky brown eyes looking sick and tired of everything and everyone.

“I’m not doing this,” he huffed, somehow immediately knowing exactly what Tobio was going to say to him.

“ _Yes,_ you are, Shoyo,” Tobio insisted, raising an eyebrow at him. “You can’t just sob for a few hours and expect me not to notice or care.”

“ _Yes,_ I can.” He stretched, the satisfying pop from his back and shoulders cued him to sit upright and cross both his arms and legs. “I’m not talking about it.”

“We’re talking about whatever this was, Shoyo.” Kageyama didn’t move from his kneeling position, even though he was now looking up at his husband, he wasn’t going to move. “I _care_ about you, and I _care_ about whatever the hell made you feel this way, so _yes_ we’re going to talk about this.”

“I hate you.”

“I don’t care. All I want is for you to talk to me.”

Hinata let his eyes fall from Tobio’s gaze, swallowing hard, his throat clicking. The moment he opened his mouth, the tears would spill. He could explain it in a million ways, speak a million pointless words, and the tears would still fall. He was a cracked vase, simply awaiting the inevitable shatter.

_The test came back negative today._

_I don’t think I can get pregnant._

_My body hates me._

_I can’t keep doing this to myself._

_I don’t want to try anymore._

_I’m sorry that I couldn’t deliver for you._

He bit his bottom lip as the phrases jumbled and shuffled over and over again in his mind.

The silence stretched. One minute, two minutes, five minutes. He lost track of time, unaware of the feeling of the couch beneath him, or the presence of his husband only inches from him. He’d ascended to another realm, truly, one where his damned depressive thoughts sucked up any sense of reality that he’d had at one point in his life.

Even with his eyes squeezed shut, and his hands clenched so tightly into fists, he still shattered.

“It was negative again,” he whimpered, his throat aching as he tried to hold back the tears.

“The—the pregnanc—” Tobio was confused, downright flabbergasted by the response he received. They could try again, couldn’t they? They could always try again.

“I don’t think I can do it,” Shoyo choked on the words. “I can’t get pregnant, Tobi. I can’t keep doing this to myself. Getting my hopes up, only to have them stepped on by my own damn body? I can’t do this after every heat.” He finally reopened his eyes, his gaze bleary from tears while he stared at nothing in particular.

“Shoyo, this isn’t the end of the world. We can try again, Shoyo. Our next heat is only a couple months away. You don’t have to give up because it failed a few times. There’s nothing wrong with that.” The offered solution only made Shoyo’s heart clench even more.

“I’ll get a negative test again.” His voice was completely devoid of hopefulness. This was the voice of a man who had given up, whole heartedly giving up on attempting to get pregnant. The voice of a man who felt pathetic in every way.

Shoyo wasn’t pathetic. Tobio never knew him to be pathetic.

“If you want to stop—to stop trying, that’s fine. I won’t stop you from that.”

Shoyo nodded, letting the tears fall freely.

“Let’s give up, Tobio. For once in our lives, let’s give up.”

***

His stomach lurched for the umpteenth time that morning. His throat and stomach burned with the acid that he’d been spitting up all morning.

It was just food poisoning, that’s all. Eating something past the expiration date was always a little risky, he’d just never expected to spend his morning vomiting all of the contents of his stomach up because of one bag of expired frozen vegetables. Honestly, the bag of microwaveable steamed broccoli had seemed appealing and completely innocent at the time, but now he severely regretted his decision.

Fuck food poisoning.

He’d already had Shoyo call their coach, and his boss to explain that he was down sick for the day. Shoyo always worried too much about him when he was sick, rushing around, making sure that he was completely taken care of even when he only had a cold.

Not that he wasn’t _thankful_ for Shoyo’s extra care, he only wanted Shoyo to understand that he was an adult who could take care of himself whether he had a cold or if he was vomiting for no discernible reason.

His stomach had finally settled enough for him to flush the toilet and sit with his head leaning against the wall of the bathroom. Give him heat over this hell any day. He _hated_ being sick like this. He couldn’t do _anything._ He couldn’t eat, or sleep, or focus on a television show. All he could do was try and make sure that his stomach wouldn’t rebel.

“Hey are you okay?” Shoyo asked through the door with a light knock.

“I’m just _peachy,_ ” Tobio answered scornfully. He managed to stand up on shaky legs, swinging the bathroom door open with a little more vigor than anticipated. His flat expression asked his question without him even opening his mouth.

“I have some water for you,” Shoyo offered, pushing the cup at him. “You need to stay hydrated, Tobio.”

“Thank you.” He wasn’t feeling as nauseous anymore, something temporary, he was sure.

Except, it _wasn’t._ He’d been sick for four hours that morning, and felt completely better by the afternoon. He almost regretted calling in sick, because he _wasn’t_ sick by the time practice would have been held, and he certainly wasn’t sick by the time he would have had to go into work.

Tobio laid around all day, waiting for the nausea to hit him again. It never did. He got a headache sometime during the afternoon, and ended up sleeping it off, but no more vomiting, no more nausea.

Seriously, what was wrong with him?

It briefly crossed his mind that he could go to the doctor, but he shut down the idea quickly. There was nothing wrong. It was a 24-hour bug is all. Or something that he ate. Or maybe his stomach was just upset. The fact of the matter was, it was nothing. No big deal. Just a weird human thing.

Hinata came home at 8, more than willing to sit and snuggle with Tobio while they watched The Count of Monte Cristo. He rested his head in the crook of Tobio’s neck, taking deep breaths of his scent. Shoyo was relieved to know that he’d felt totally fine after the morning had passed, and germs be damned, he was going to snuggle with his husband.

“You smell weird,” he muttered, pulling away a little. It was insignificant, really. They knew each other so well that any change in the other’s scent was obvious. If either of them spent too much time around their parents, or an alpha, they’d end up smelling like them. There was nothing wrong with it, but it was apparent to the other.

“It’s probably just the sickness,” he sighed out.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

He went to bed thinking that this one odd day would be the end of it, but it _wasn’t._

The next day, he was completely exhausted, and his stomach kept cramping up. Not with nausea like it had the day before, but with a stabbing, bleeding pain. He still went about his day, though at a little less than 100%. The tiredness and pain were manageable.

By the sixth day of headaches, spontaneous nausea, and exhaustion, Tobio had just about _had_ it. He couldn’t keep doing this. He couldn’t put his life on hold because his body had decided to stage a revolution against him and any hope of productivity that he still was holding onto. He wasn’t going to put up with it.

It took him ten minutes to make the decision call a doctor.

It took Shoyo eleven minutes to get home, and another ten seconds to _finally_ register why Tobio had smelled so weird for the last couple of days.

“How long has it been?” Shoyo shouted, scrambling for his phone. Tobio pulled his own phone—ringing as he attempted to connect to the doctor’s office—away from his ear.

“What the hell are you shouting about? I’m on the phone,” he hissed at Shoyo who seemed to be avidly searching for something on his phone.

“I need to know how long it’s been!” He waved his hand at his husband, as if signaling for him to wait.

“Since _what?_ ” He gave up on trying to call. Deal with Shoyo first, then call the doctor.

“Since heat!” Shoyo’s eyes flicked up and down the screen on his phone. “Aha! A month! It’s been a month and four days since heat.” He grinned at Kageyama, looking thrilled with something.

“And what does that have to with anything?” He stared at Shoyo like he was crazy. In fact, he seemed crazy. Grinning at him, counting the days since their last heat, shouting and waving his arms around like he was a spectator at a concert.

“It’s been a month and four days since heat, and _you_ smell like baby!”

“Like _baby?_ What are you saying—”

“Tobio, you need to take a pregnancy test.”

“A _pregnancy test_? As in, a test that tells you whether or not you’re pregnant,” he asked for clarification, still completely baffled by what Shoyo was on about. There was _no way_ he was pregnant! They hadn’t even put a real effort into it. Besides, _Shoyo_ was the one who was supposed to get pregnant, not him! The whole thing is backwards. Shoyo must be thinking of something else. Some other test that he was unaware of and definitely didn’t suggest that Tobio Kageyama might be legitimately pregnant.

“It’s mostly a formality as of now. You have all the symptoms. Morning sickness, exhaustion, weird hormonal spikes, and pheromones _pouring_ off of you at all times. Honestly, if I were an alpha, I’d have noticed earlier,” he rambled on. “I _think_ we have one in the bathroom. To test you. For formalities sake.”

“Shoyo, I’m _not—_ it’s just not possible. I wasn’t even doing anything to get pregnant. Omega’s can’t just impregnate other omegas _accidentally._ It almost never works that way!” he protested, even as Shoyo skipped to and from the bathroom to place the box on the counter in front of Tobio.

Hinata sighed and smiled gently, letting his eyes meet Tobio’s. “If you’re convinced you’re not pregnant, then take the test and prove me wrong.”

“ _Fine,_ ” Tobio conceded, snatching the box up. “Maybe I _will._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter after this! Enjoy.

Upon first glance, Mitsuko resembled Shoyo so much that it was overwhelming. The springy, wild red curls of her hair, and the freckles that dusted her cheeks and nose. Her eyes matched her father’s, with that fiery, striking edge to them that Tobio was so taken with. She shared a lot of his tics and quirks, those fidgety, bouncing movements that were so reminiscent of the young Hinata that Tobio had met when they were much younger. Even her smile was like Shoyo’s, blinding and charming and full of warmth. Despite the fact that she had Tobio’s steely blue eyes, he still struggled to see much of himself in his daughter.

He first began to notice himself in the way she rolled her eyes. She was still young when he first recognized it, maybe 3 or four, but he felt like he was looking in a mirror. He doesn’t remember what had irritated or exasperated her to the point of rolling her eyes, he doesn’t even remember where they were at the time, all he recalls was his own little motion in his little girl’s expression.

As years passed, the resemblance grew even more apparent. She was so careful and thorough when taking care of her nails, curling up on the couch, or against the wall while sitting on her bed, diligently and precisely filing her nails to perfection. He almost laughed when he saw her do that for the first time, he was always so careful with his hands when he played volleyball, curling up to fix his nails just like she would.

When she grew frustrated, she would furrow her eyebrows and scowl, muttering bitterly under her breath. Often times, math homework would push her to this point. Tobio would have loved to offer her help, but he knew he could do no better. He’d made the exact same faces at his math homework when he was her age.

Her limbs grew to be lanky, and the lines of her face grew sharper. Her mouth was downturned, and her glare hilariously sharp for someone so young. Even some of her motions her familiar to him, the way she would stretch out, almost catlike, when she was tired, or her awkwardness when approaching new people.

She might look like Shoyo, but so much of her screamed Tobio.

***

Tobio’s hands shook as he attempted to call Shoyo on his phone.

He wasn’t supposed to get pregnant. He’d been in denial for much too long, he’d almost refused the pregnancy test when Shoyo offered it to him.

It was like a dream, imagining it. A baby? An actual, literal human being growing in his stomach. The thought made his head spin and his stomach churn, and it felt like he’d been through a loop on a rollercoaster. Is it joy? Anxiety? Nausea? He didn’t know. How could he know? He’d never experienced this or anything like it before and his feelings and insides were a complete mess.

Shoyo could explain it to him. Shoyo was good at mushy, gross feelings. He knew things about pregnancy and getting pregnant. He could explain everything away. He’d make it better. Shoyo always made everything better.

Tobio hated talking on the phone, but with the way his hands shook, he doubted he could type a single sentence out.

The phone rang forever and ever, every ring shaking his soul to the core, settling like a stone in his stomach.

Voicemail. _Voicemail._ Tobio was in the middle of a crisis and Shoyo let him go to voicemail?

He stood up and began to pace around the living room. Around the coffee table, towards the kitchen, a sharp turn on his heel and then back again. This grew old quickly and he seated himself on the couch, his leg bouncing so fast it nearly felt like vibrating. Surely this wasn’t a normal reaction to learning you were pregnant. Didn’t most people practically leap for joy when they got back a positive pregnancy test? That was the normal thing to do. That’s what Shoyo would do.

Tobio didn’t feel like jumping for joy, though. He was full of doubt and excitement and nervousness. Something else was there that he simply couldn’t explain either. Maybe it was hormones. _Baby_ hormones.

That sent him into a tizzy again. He stood, pacing the room, his hands shaking, his throat dry, tears in his eyes. It only occurred to him in that moment that perhaps he was a little overwhelmed by this new development.

He leapt a foot into the air when his phone rang, ringer on full volume. Tobio scrambled to pick it up, not even looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?” he said into the phone, knowing he sounded slightly winded.

“Tobi? Is everything alright? You called me a little while ago and I got worried,” he paused thoughtfully, “You _never_ call me during class.”

“I do when I find out I’m pregnant,” Tobio scoffed without thinking. “You left me on voicem—”

“Wait, _what?”_ Shoyo interrupted. “You took the test?” he near shouted into the microphone.

“Of course I took—"

“ _Tobio!_ ” he actually did shout this time. “Why didn’t you wait to tell me in person? I have all these things we need to talk about and we need to choose names, and schedule doctor’s appointments, and we have to decide on when to tell people, and there’s diet that we have to go over, and when are we going to tell our parents?” he rambled on, stressing Kageyama even more over the receiver.

“Sho, I called because I was feeling—” he took a deep breath “—I still _am_ feeling overwhelmed. I have a _person_ growing inside of me. An actual, real human being, Sho. You aren’t exactly _helping_ with anything.”

“I’m sorry, so, so sorry. I’ll be home as soon as possible. I’m ditching class as we speak,” he said affirmatively.

“Thank you,” he breathed a sigh of relief. Tobio didn’t like feeling needy, he didn’t like feeling panicky or overwhelmed or _any_ of the emotions that he was feeling in the present moment, but he knew that Shoyo would help. When all else failed, Tobio knew that he could call upon his husband, his best friend, his _partner_ to help him through.

Still, he wasn’t sure Hinata could stop the nausea he woke up with, or the exhaustion that came with having another human sucking the nutrients out of his body from the inside.

“Love you, see you in five!” Shoyo shouted. The line went dead, and Tobio was left alone again.

There were too many factors to consider, not only the actual responsibilities of being a parent, but also the weight of being pregnant in that moment. They had to tell people, not only their parents, but their friends, teammates, coaches, employers, professors. He _hated_ talking to people, especially when those interactions would change any future interactions they had together. Telling someone he was pregnant or telling someone he was a dad had disastrous effects on any conversation he would ever have in the future. He’d never be able to talk about volleyball again. Only how he—an omega—managed taking care of his children and also being on the national team. He felt sick even thinking about it.

And god—how would his parents react? He and Hinata hadn’t discussed their attempts for children with anyone, and he _certainly_ hadn’t mentioned anything to his own parents. Not to mention the fact that Iwaizumi and Oikawa had a tendency to be overdramatic. Could he even trust them not to tell the entire world after he told them? Who else would Tobio even tell? He doesn’t really have friends from high school. Or college. Or really any friends outside of his own husband. He’d only have his loud, overdramatic parents to tell.

And Natsu.

Natsu would probably slap him, if he were being completely honest with himself. He was never really quite sure why she hated him so much.

The front door swung open with a clatter.

“I came back as soon as possible!” Shoyo shouted, his hair windblown and his eyes wide. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. I’m fine, Shoyo,” he sighed out, brushing a hand through his hair, giving a brief tug from the stress. “It’s a little overwhelming.”

“Were you expecting something else?” Shoyo asked with a smug grin. Tobio shoved at Shoyo’s shoulder.

“Weren’t you supposed to be helpful?” he bit, feeling fidgety in a way that he typically associated more with his boyfriend than himself.

“Alright, then!” Shoyo announced, clapping his hands together once. “Let’s schedule a doctor’s appointment, and then we can move from there.” He tugged his phone from his pocket, diligently scrolling through his extensive Baby Things notes file that he kept on his phone.

“You couldn’t have told me that over the phone?” Tobio questioned, crossing his arms and drumming his fingers on his arm.

“I mean, I _could_ have told you that over the phone, but you hate calling people, so I figured I’d call and schedule for you.” Kageyama wanted to protest, but everything that Shoyo said was absolutely true. If he could avoid calling and scheduling, he would. Besides, Shoyo was the one with all of the notes on his phone. He was obsessively and excessively prepared for every circumstance that might arrive when it came to pregnancy.

“Thank you,” he reluctantly muttered.

“I love you.”

***

It had been a hellish week. Tobio hated working for the press. He was a _volleyball_ player. Not a model, or a celebrity. He played a sport. Tobio was in no way trained to be going off to all of these random press events to be asked personal questions that he didn’t want to answer.

He did it anyway. It came with the job, apparently. If he’d known that he’d be a public figure when he became one of the first professional omega setters that the country had ever had, then he might have reconsidered becoming a volleyball player.

(That was a lie. He couldn’t imagine doing anything else.)

The spotlight has been focused on him and Hinata since their college days. They were young, attractive athletes, and people ate it up. For _some_ reason, though, after they officially announced their marriage the spotlight felt a lot more intense. People wanted to know _everything_ about them. They wanted to know how they met, where they met, when they started dating, how they managed sharing everything in their lives, even how the sex was. It disgusted Kageyama. He felt like an object to the general public, a character from a tv show that you could google every detail about.

Still, he answered the questions and moved on.

Once Mistuko was born, all of the focus shifted to her. It was a relief to be able to deflect personal questions into stories about her, and to justify turning down interviews with the classic ‘I want to spend more time with my family.’ She was easy to talk about, and the stories didn’t even have to be true. It was fantastic.

Except, as she got older, the excuses no longer worked. He and Hinata were back in the spotlight themselves, with no way to hide from the heat.

They staggered their press now. Kageyama would take a week every few months to do press. Hinata would take a week every few months to do press. Tobio dreaded it, talking to strangers, posing in front of cameras, forcing smiles. It wasn’t his forte, looking pretty and nice all the time.

(Again, he was a _volleyball player._ Not some movie star.)

Posing for cameras was weird, acting like a model. He’d never personally considered himself to be attractive, he’d only been vaguely aware of it throughout his entire life, but apparently people thought he was _incredibly_ attractive. He was booked for _twice_ the photo shoots that Hinata was. Shoyo would coo over the published photos, raving over his attractive husband. Even Mistuko liked the pictures, asking Tobio if _she’d_ ever be able to have photoshoots.

God, he hoped not.

Not if her photoshoots ripped her away from him like he was taken away from her for a week.

It was a relief coming home to Shoyo and Mitsuko.

“I’m home!” he called out, slipping off his shoes and dropping his duffle bag in the entry way, and letting his eyes close. The familiar, warm scent surrounded him, and eased all the tense muscles from his week away.

“You’re home!” came a familiar squeal, Mistuko whipping around the corner. Her curly red hair bounced as she bounded towards Tobio, leaping into his arms, completely confident that he would catch her.

She was correct in her assumption, Tobio swept her off the floor and held her at his hip with ease. It was a perk of being a professionally trained athlete; he could pick up both his daughter and his husband with one arm. He took pride in this accomplishment and used it to his advantage.

“Hey, clementine,” he greeted, kissing her on the temple and scenting her in one smooth motion. “Did you miss me?”

“ _Duh,_ ” she stuck her tongue out at him. “Did you take lots of pictures for Dad and me?” She got this sparkly look in her eye, like she was _so amazed_ that her dad did photoshoots and interviews like a celebrity. Tobio couldn’t stop the smile on his face.

“Of _course_ I did. You’ll get to see them soon,” Kageyama hummed, carrying her into the living room and kitchen area, despite how his shoulder was sore from carrying his bag around all day.

“Welcome back, Tobi!” cheered Hinata, leaping on him from behind. Tobio nearly lost his footing, stumbling forward to compensate for the sudden shift. Shoyo rested his chin on Tobio’s shoulder, resting there with his arms wrapped around Tobio’s middle.

“Are you _trying_ to kill me?” he teased, side eyeing Shoyo, who looked incredibly pleased. 

“I was _trying_ to shower you with love, but you won’t kiss me,” Hinata pouted, squeezing Tobio petulantly.

“Mm, bad angle. You’ll just have to wait,” Tobio hummed as he leaned his head onto Shoyo’s. “Can I set both of you down now?”

“No!”

“Never!”

***

“And you’re absolutely, _positively_ sure that we shouldn’t tell them this in person?” Hinata questioned for the millionth time that day and the seventh time that hour.

“ _When_ exactly would we find time to go home and tell them? We’re students, athletes, and we both work. Our schedules are impossible, Sho,” he explained, for the millionth time that day and the seventh time that hour.

“We could find a weekend! I swear we could. Don’t we have the 24th free?” He scrolled through the calendar on his phone, scanning through their scheduled events.

“We _had_ the 24th free,” he corrected, crossing his arms. “You invited half of your old high school team to visit us on the 24th.”

“Why didn’t you stop me from doing that? We could have invited our parents up and had a pregnancy reveal dinner or something!” he shouted, accusing Tobio as if he’d been the one that invited 15 people to their tiny apartment.

“I _tried_ to stop you, but you told me there would be other weekends to head home,” he sighed. “It really doesn’t matter. We’re telling them now, over a group skype call, and they can come visit us if they want to.”

“Why don’t we just wait? I mean, we’ve waited this long—” Tobio put his hand over Shoyo’s mouth.

“Hinata, I am three and a half months pregnant. We’ve taken a test, we’ve gone to the doctor, and I want to tell my parents.” He stared Hinata down, frustrated that he had to have this same conversation again. “I don’t care if you participate in the call or not. All I want is for my parents to know that I am going to have a child. Is that too much to ask for?”

“No,” Shoyo mumbled against Tobio’s hand.

“Thank you.” He removed his hand and sat down on the couch, opening up his laptop. They’d scheduled this group call a week ago, there was no way he was ditching both his and Hinata’s parents last second. They were telling them about the pregnancy, goddammit.

Shoyo plopped down next to him, leaning into Tobio’s side as he set up the call.

It was still nerve-wracking, thinking about having and caring for a child, but Tobio had grown used to the anxiety that would bubble up right alongside nausea. He knew it would be difficult, and he knew the next six months would be hellish. Right now, though, he was giving himself a support team. Shoyo, his parents, Shoyo’s parents, they would all help him.

He dialed the call.

The screen was a little grainy at first, but cleared up as it loaded fully, the faces of Tooru, Hajime, Sawamura, and Koushi becoming a little clearer.

“Hi everyone!” Shoyo greeted, leaning in a little closer to the camera, mostly obscuring Tobio from view.

“It’s so good to see you two!” Koushi said in response, waving. “When are you coming down to visit?”

“We’re jumping right to that?” Shoyo laughed, wrapping his arms around one of Tobio’s.

“We can arrange that after we tell you our news first,” Tobio said, glancing towards Shoyo significantly. He nearly rolled his eyes at Shoyo’s pleading look. It was this fool’s fault that they didn’t have time to go down and tell them properly about the pregnancy. He _certainly_ wasn’t allowed to complain about it now.

“I _told_ you that something was suspicious about this call,” Oikawa said to Iwaizumi, elbowing him.

“I never fought with you on that, Shittykawa. It seemed suspicious as soon as Tobio asked to _schedule_ something,” Iwaizumi muttered, crossing his arms.

“ _Hey,_ I schedule things,” he snapped at them through the screen. He shook his head. “And that’s not the point of this call. We actually have something important to tell all of you.”

“Well, you have us all here,” Daichi shrugged. Suga motioned for them to continue.

Kageyama took a deep breath. “It’s—”

“We’re pregnant!” Shoyo butted in before Tobio could finish.

“Seriously? You were _so_ against telling them like this and now you interrupt me to announce it?” he questioned, shoving Shoyo slightly off of his comfortable position leaned against his husband.

“I’m sorry! I got excited! It’s been almost three months, Tobio!” he defended, his palms in front of himself, like he was anticipating an attack.

“I can’t _believe_ you. We talked about this. I was going to start the announcement and you were going to give the details because it minimized the amount I had to talk.” Tobio jabbed his pointer finger at Shoyo’s chest. “Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.”

“I already apologized! I can’t believe you’d—”

“Congrats, you two,” came Daichi’s calm, reasonable voice. Even with such a simple statement, the joy in his throat was ever so apparent. He was _thrilled._ Grandpa Daichi sounded appropriate.

“Hajime. Hajime, we’re old now. We’re going to be _grandparents._ Old, crotchety grandpas, Iwa-chan. I can’t handle this,” Tooru rambled overdramatically, even though he was grinning towards the camera. Of course he’d be thrilled with this development. Despite everything else, Tooru genuinely loved little kids. Especially little kids that he could indoctrinate into his volleyball cult.

“Shoyo, Tobio,” Hajime began, finding it fitting to ignore his partner, “the two of you will make excellent parents.”

“Congratulations, Sho!” Suga cheered, clutching his hands together, tears welling up in his eyes. “I know that you were trying for a kid, but I _never_ expected—” Hinata cut him off with a wave of his hand.

“Actually, um, Tobio’s the one who’s pregnant.”

This caused a pause in the conversation.

Their family had always been more liberal in their thinking. They ignored more traditional values in favor of personal happiness. It was obvious enough in the fact that Tobio’s parents were both alphas, and in the fact that Suga and Daichi adopted two siblings even after fostering kids for years. Still, society’s effects still lingered among them.

Gender roles are engrained in almost everything. Both primary and secondary genders are expected to behave in certain ways. Even Tobio—a successful, independent, and deterministic omega—was expected to follow certain regulations throughout their society. Taking positions above alphas, or challenging alphas was always viewed negatively, even if he had every right to.

The assumption that Hinata was the so-called omega of their relationship happened all the time, even when Tobio would snap at them for it, people still persisted in this mindset.

It’s no surprise that they had assumed Shoyo would be the pregnant one.

“Tobio?” Oikawa perked up, looking truly curious.

“It was a happy accident, I guess,” he answered, rubbing the back of his neck. “We’d just given up on trying for a kid, but it happened anyway. A few weeks after heat, I started getting terrible morning sickness and Shoyo talked me into taking a pregnancy test.” Tobio hadn’t anticipated feeling so embarrassed _._ He’d assumed that it’d be like announcing anything else, a brief congratulation before they moved on to something else, but this was an entirely new experience. Every question was so much more personal. Questions about sex and about his body and how he was feeling. That was private information, yet suddenly his pregnancy made it everyone’s business. Even telling people how far along he was told people how long ago he and Shoyo had had sex. It was invasive. He wasn’t telling anyone anything.

“The two of you sure are something else,” Daichi chuckled. “Really, though, congratulations. I can’t wait to meet the newest member of our crazy family tree.”

“We’ll come and visit soon, I promise!” Shoyo jumped in.

“You better!” Oikawa insisted. “If you don’t come visit soon, I’ll be forced to adopt another aloof son.”

“Dad, if you do that, I’m not letting you meet our kid until he’s three.” Tobio raised a challenging eyebrow. Everyone knew he wasn’t serious about it, but he _could be_ if he wanted to be. That was really what mattered.

“We’ll hold off on adopting another kid,” Iwaizumi said, rolling his eyes.

“Good.” Tobio nodded. “We can schedule a date later. Text me with the dates, not Shoyo. He’ll mix them up.”

“Not if it’s a text!” Shoyo protested.

“Goodnight to all of you,” Tobio ended respectfully, snapping the laptop shut.

“That was a bit abrupt,” Shoyo commented, leaning back into the couch, his arms crossed.

“They can interrogate us in person. Right now, I’m exhausted and I already am dreading getting out of bed tomorrow morning,” Tobio sighed, slumping back right next to Shoyo. Shoyo ran a hand through Tobio’s hair gently, allowing him to lean into him fully. “Everything starts too early in the morning.”

“Skip your early class tomorrow. We can sleep in and make breakfast,” Shoyo suggested.

“You’re full of bad ideas.” Tobio let his eyes shut slowly. “I don’t know how you talk me into them.”

“It’s easier than you’d think. You’re a sucker for me, anyway.”

“I can’t believe you’d use my weaknesses against me, Shoyo.”

“I have to beat you _somehow._ We only ever fight for the same team nowadays,” Shoyo laughed, stretching his arms, his shoulders popping satisfyingly. He settled back in again, allowing his head to fall to Tobio’s shoulder this time.

“I _suppose_ I’ll allow it. This time.”

“Oh, how blessed I am to have a husband as kind as you,” he said sarcastically.

“You’d better feel blessed. You’ll never find anyone better.” Tobio gently tilted Shoyo’s chin up, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“I know I won’t.”

***

Somehow, throughout his high school and college years, Shoyo had managed to amass an incredible number of friends. His charm was always able to draw people in, and he was vastly successful at finding common ground. Tobio never understood how he’d managed it, being loved by so many people.

He seemed to do just fine, however, judging by the amount of people they were hosting in their tiny apartment for the evening.

Tobio didn’t consider himself close with any of his husband’s friends. They were people that he knew, people that Shoyo loved, but not Tobio’s people.

“Kageyama, it’s so good to see you again, dude!” came a rambunctious greeting from none other than Ryuunosuke Tanaka.

They didn’t seem to understand that they weren’t that close.

“Nice to see you too.” He waved politely, picking up some stray dishes and depositing them into the sink.

“Has he been taking care of you?” Tanaka jokingly asked Shoyo.

“I’d _like_ to say yes, but—" Tobio interrupted his husband, an eyebrow raised, his arms crossed.

“I don’t want to hear any complaints, Mr. I-took-on-an-extra-shift-to-avoid-cleaning,” he said, completely unamused with him.

“That’s fair.” Shoyo turned back to Tanaka. “He’s been doing just fine.”

Shoyo talked and talked and talked the night away, even as more people poured into their apartment. He was in his element with all of these people surrounding him. He shined like the sun as he rambled on about everything and nothing. Tobio couldn’t blame anyone for flocking towards his little piece of sunshine. He knew how much Shoyo loved this, and he knew how much his friends loved it too.

Yet, Tobio was the one who had him.

Despite all the people and all the love surrounding Shoyo, he still chose him. He married Tobio. That’s what he chose, above all of his other options. He said yes to a ring on his finger, to a husband, to Tobio.

Kageyama blamed his sappiness on the hormones.

“Hey, King.” Tobio knew that voice. The one friend of Shoyo’s that he simple couldn’t stand.  He turned around and faced him, _barely_ managing not to roll his eyes.

“Tsukishima,” he greeted abruptly. “I’m surprised you made the trip up from Tokyo.”

“He didn’t really want to come, but I thought a get-together with the old team would be nice,” Yamaguchi (er—Tsukishima Tadashi. Tobio had a hard time remembering.) said. He stayed close to Kei, holding his hand, and smiling pleasantly. Tadashi had always been a bit of a pushover, but never unpleasant. He was the sort of person that no one could dislike.

“Tadashi!” Hinata called out, rushing over to say hello to the final guests to arrive. “How have you been? It’s been _forever._ ”

“Really well, actually. We’ve…well there’s been some new developments,” Tadashi smiled softly, glancing down. “We moved to a nicer place, and Tsukki was promoted last month.”

“Congratulations!” Hinata said to Kei. “So much more successful than the rest of us.”

“Says the _professional volleyball player,_ ” Noya commented sarcastically at Hinata.

“He had his bachelor’s degree two years early! That’s successful,” Shoyo pointed out.

The evening dragged on. They drank, they chatted, Tobio nearly dozed off a few times. If felt like a successful evening in the best ways. Happiness, food, alcohol, conversation.

Shoyo seated himself in Tobio’s lap as the evening started to come to a close. No one had left yet, but it was quieter than it had been, and it was obvious that people were growing tired.

“I think we should tell them,” Shoyo whispered to Tobio.

“About the pregnancy?” he questioned. They’d agreed that they’d announce it during the fifth month. It was too early to tell everyone.

“Yeah. Why not? We have everyone here and—”

“Everyone! We have an announcement to make!” Tadashi called out, with a prompt clap of his hands. Everything paused for a moment as they focused on Tadashi and Tsukishima.

“We’re pregnant,” Kei announced, loud but without vigor.

Congratulations broke out. Tanaka made some sort of joke about it being appropriate. Hinata clapped happily.

But not Tobio, no. Of course not.

“ _Hell_ no,” he said, angrily.

There was a pause in the room, everyone turning to look towards Kageyama, who was obviously upset.

“No, it’s not happening. I’m not letting your kid ever be friends with mine,” he huffed.

“What—” Tadashi looked like a wounded puppy at his rejection.

“Surprise, everyone,” Hinata tried to fix smiling anxiously. “We’re pregnant too!”

**Author's Note:**

> Are you sick of domestic kagehina yet? Well. Too bad. there's a lot more where that came from.  
> The next section will be up as soon as I finish it!


End file.
